Way of Overlord
Chapter 212: Not A Butterfly

Chapter 212: Not A Butterfly

The cold wind blows, the snow falls and the season changes

The hunters are like wolves. They waited patiently and when the opportune moment come, they would strike.

The hunters look at the vast plains in front of them and each breath created a crystalline misty fog in the air.

Belarion lead these men with a smile like the cold did not affect him.

He ventured forth and behind him is archers and trackers, seeking prey

Some of them follows so that they could have something to sustain them on the long winter nights

Some follows because they were ordered to .

Whatever the case, they are confident that they would have something to eat tonight

Belarion rides his horse and saw a Tayak.

He took his bow, nock his arrow and with one swift motion, release it and like a god in the sky hurling thunders bolts the arrows pierces through the Tayak body like it is the most fragile thing in the world

On the other side of the tribe, there is the women.

The cold snow did not stop them. The women of the Steppe are rare creatures. Like the men, they were born strong and harsh.

They lack the elegance of the Yan but they surely could choke the Yan women to death, their stares are enough to intimidate Yan men.

These are the differences of the women in the Steppe and the women in Yan. But strength is not the only difference.

The woman of the Steppe speak their mind but they also know the truth of the world.

They speak their minds when they have the power and while they are passionate women, they knows the rules of the world

Might is right!

Justice is might!

Without power, all your words seems like wind in the air, it blows by and do nothing. It could not turn into a storm.

But a powerful person word, could determine life and death, determine fate and destiny

Hence, the women of the Steppe is wily, cunning and brave. But they also have their nurturing side.

They loved their husband and would raise hell for them and they love their children like they love the Sky.

The sons and daughters took father and mothers as the Heavens, the old loves the young and the young respect the old.

The old impart experience and wisdom, the young uses their youth to pave a way forward for the prosperity of the future

This is the woman of the Steppe, fierce when they become warriors, loving and protecting when they become mothers

Because they understood one thing

If all of them are warriors, then who would nurture the next generation? Wolf cub dies without their mothers

The Skyfather laid down the Law, and the Earth Mother nurtures the world. When the Skyfather is angry, the Earth Mother grants pardon and soothes the Sky.

There is many stories like that among the many folk stories of the Steppe.

The woman of Steppe is cunning, wily, brave but they are also loyal. Passionate woman that have loyalty etched in their bones

These women could bend under the circumstances but they could also be stubborn and vindictive.

there is the story of Farahin in the Esbizuk tribe but there is also other stories in the folklore of the Marynku of a woman avenging her husband

The woman of the Steppe guards the home when the men goes out hunting and fighting

Life is hard and supporting each other brings a little hope in such a bleak world. And right now, the women of the tribe is gathered in groups.

They are working together.

And what they are working on?

Preserving the bounty of the previous season.

Berries and fruits, now dried and stored, would add a touch of summer’s sweetness to the meals.

Meats were smoked, fish cured, and herbs bundled, a preservation of sustenance

Amidst the daily chores, the rhythm of life continued.

Parents shared tales of bravery and survival with their children, weaving lessons into the fabric of folklore.

Some artisans passed down ancient crafts—stitching intricate patterns into furs, crafting tools from bone and stone, a lineage of skill and craftsmanship.

The arrival of the winter solstice also heralded a time of celebration.

The Ashana came out from their tent.

It is a pity that the Ashana of the Brolgadhr could not come out, informing that she is sick.

When night came, there is a sacred ceremony beneath the star-studded sky honoured the spirits of nature, a prayer for abundance in the coming seasons.

Songs rose like smoke, carrying the hopes and dreams of the tribe into the heavens.

Yet, amidst the beauty of the snow-covered Steppe, challenges persisted.

These are the challenges of every winter

Harsh winds battered the tents, testing the strength of their shelters. It would be even worse if there is a storm.

It could make all the tents fly away and people could die in hundreds and thousands

And if dead came, then illness would follow soon after

Illnesses threatened them each winter and mostly in the past the Ashana would be prepared, to brew potions of herbs and roots to ward off ailments and heal diseases..

But within the challenges, unity thrived and this hardship would always make their unity strong

It is because of this tribes cares deeply about each other and why feud could last to a hundred years

In times of disaster, the neighbours would help repair damaged dwellings, shared provisions, and laughter always echoed in the face of adversity.

The bonds of community, forged by shared struggles, grew stronger in the embrace of winter.

But with new influx of people and thousands of slaves from Yan, it is destined for this year to not be the same as last year

The city is being built and the winter must be passed successfully.

And then when the winter ends, the world will be in chaos again!

...

Aeryon is in his tent. He is sitting cross legged in front of the short table. He seems to be taking deep breath.

He is not practicing any methods of immortality or doing martial arts training, he is simply trying to empty his mind.

It has been a few weeks since the battle in Nurshira and Aeryon returns to the tribe, triumphant.

There is not many things that had changed in the tribe. Aeryon did not expect that. He had half expected that when he went south and fight against Nurshira, he would be attacked by the neighbouring tribes.

That is why he left a reserve of people to fight if the tribe is attacked

He never expected that none of the tribes that surround the vast Brolgadhr lands would not even dare to attack

That is a good thing. It is only after a while Aeryon finally understood that he is no longer an upstart, or a young chief, or a small tribe but he is now an Overlord that rules most of the tribes in the lower south.

Aeryon did not know that his influence is very terrifying now in the eyes of the other chiefs and if they could help it, they would not like to be enemies with his tribe.

Aeryon is still young. Around sixteen years or seventeen. And now, he finally had begun to regain a footing in this world

Before, the Brolgadhr while it is not a strong tribe, it does shows resurgence under his father.

Though that resurgence is not in the domain of war but more of diplomatic relation between tribes and business where they would trade their stuff to the far north and other tribes nearby.

To the world, what Aeryon father did does not bring great change at all.

But maybe if he did not die that young, Aeryon father could really bring this tribe toa different kind of prosperity

Or maybe his father is simply an idealist.

The fact is Aeryon is not his father and he could not know the plans that he have.

"If" is something he did not like to speculate. Things had already happened and it could not be changed.

Thinking about it would not change the past, but to learn from it is a virtue.

"I do not know much about Aeryon father" he paused for a second and laughed

"My father" Even though he did not experience the warmth of his family in this world he does have the original memory of Aeryon.

And so, it felt like he is Aeryon. Like a dream. Sometimes, he is confused himself. Is he Arryon dreaming becoming James? Or is he James now dreaming to be Aeryon

And Aeryon laughed

"Zhuangzi is not right"

"The argument ’I may be dreaming’ is senseless for this reason: if I am dreaming, this remark is being dreamed as well – and it is also being dreamed that these words have any meaning."

And Aeryon laughed. No one would understand his thoughts because even when he felt close to this world, he always felt that feeling of alienation

He is not a person of this world, not a person of this time and no matter how he tried, this incompatibility could not be reconciled.

And Aeryon has always been decisive. Whether it is because he inherited certain traits of Aeryon or this is the traits of James, the Aeryon right now, is decisive in this matter

Since he could not reconcile this incompatibility, then why should he force it?

If he is incompatible with this world., then he is incompatible. Worrying about it would do no good.

Just fight for what he believes in, survive in this world and do something for this world.

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